Chapter 28

Kitty.

I sat in a booth at Denny’s with my father. Half the restaurant was made up of shapeshifters.

It’s possible I wouldn’t have been able to do this if Squatch hadn’t asked for those precious moments of privacy. Mostly, he’d sat in a chair and held me, but he’d also reminded me of my strength, my maturity, and the fact I’d played better politics than my father. I had the upper hand because I’d made higher contacts and better friends.

Some say supernatural society is all about survival of the fittest, and that’s true, but it’s also about choosing sides. The strong bring people into their protective circles, and the weak jockey to get into those circles.

Brooke is a champion for the underdog, especially young females with fathers who use them for profit. Or probably any older male. I hadn’t known that when I went to the Master Vampire, offering my blood in exchange for her help. But she’d heard me out plus been able to see inside my head — my father wasn’t selling me outright, but he intended to use my baby-making abilities in ways Brooke didn’t approve of. He saw me as property. His property. The vampire who’d been turned as a child didn’t approve, and she’d helped me more than I’d hoped.

She’d gotten me a job with the bikers, knowing they’d protect me as an employee, but she couldn’t have known I’d mate with one of them. The dancers are usually kept at arm’s length from the bikers — employees who are paid to fuck them occasionally, but no more. Somehow, I’d gained them as more of an ally than she’d expected, and then Kirsten and Kendra had decided to protect me, too. I hadn’t planned to gain so many defenders. It’d just kind of happened. I wasn’t some master strategist. I’d lucked out.

So, as I sat down to eat with my father, I wasn’t feeling terribly cocky. I felt as if I’d won by accident, and I wasn’t certain I should be spending time with him alone. I was terrified I’d fuck up and lose everything I’d just gained.

After we ordered, my father told me, “I gave you the education you’d need if you lived your life in the ambush. Your wolf friend is right that you don’t know everything you need to know if you’re going to live in the outside world. Will you give me an opportunity to fill in those holes?”

“How do you propose to do that from South Carolina when I’m living in Alabama?”

“Video classes? An hour class, three times a week?”

I wanted to tell him Squatch could teach me, but what if he couldn’t? What if there were things about being a tiger I needed to learn?

“What else do I need to know?”

“Did you know lone wolves aren’t allowed to use their magic? Do you know what to do if you find yourself in the presence of one of the former gods? Do you know the protocol if, say, Eagle royalty should happen into your little strip club?”

I didn’t know any of this, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I told him, “I’m never going to be in the presence of a former god, Daddy.”

“When you were at Homewood, did you meet a large man who made you want to drop to your knees, just being in his presence?”

I sat back, stunned.

“What should I have done?”

“How was he introduced to you?”

“Mordecai.”

He nodded. “Kneeling would’ve been proper, but it’s okay if you didn’t.”

“I did, at first, but then Kirsten took me to Alfheim, and when he followed us there, I couldn’t figure out how to do it gracefully because she was holding my hand.”

“You went to Alfheim?”

I nodded. “I didn’t see much of it, but it was wondrous. The air is saturated with magic.”

“You’ve had quite the adventure.” His smile told me he was both pleased and angry.

“Why does this make you angry?”

He shrugged. “It’s my job to protect and shelter you. I failed. You haven’t just been out in the world without a protector, you’ve been to other worlds.”

“I haven’t been without a protector since four days after I left the ambush.”

It’d taken me that long to get to Alabama and figure out how to get an audience with Brooke. I’d overheard a cousin talking about the Master Vampire of Birmingham owning so much property she’d bought a lumber yard, and that they were staying out of Alabama because of her. So, I’d gone to the lumberyard and refused to leave until someone took me to her. I’d had no idea she was a child until I saw her.

“The vampire?” Daddy asked. “She was your first protector?”

I nodded. “Brooke got me a job with the bikers, and that made them my protectors, too. Later, she sent me to Kirsten to help me get past some of my...” I sighed. “I guess I have some issues I needed to talk through, so I can function as a healthy adult, and not as one stunted from a warped childhood.”

“Warped. Childhood.” He bit the words out. His anger sizzled and bit along my skin like a swarm of fire ants.

“You know it’s true, Commandant. Women are property in the ambush, and I was raised to be okay with that. I’m not okay with it, and I had to figure out...” I sighed. “There’s no way I could sit here with you now, with the possibility of us having a relationship as two adults, if Kirsten hadn’t helped me. If that pisses you off, then...”

The look on his face when I said pisses stopped me in my tracks. It was the first time I’d ever cussed in front of my father, and I’d been about to tell him to go fuck himself. Probably not helpful.

“I’m not the same little girl who escaped, Daddy. You’re going to have to come to terms with that.”

“Kirsten and the Amakhosi are lovers, and this made him more partial to your side than mine.”

I shook my head. “No, it didn’t. He was clear from the beginning that his priority is the continuation of the golden tigers. The good of the species over what might be best for me. Kirsten and His Majesty went toe-to-toe, fighting because of me — that’s why she took me to Alfheim, to keep him from taking me from her. He was...” I almost said pissed again. “He wasn’t pleased.”

“Did you seduce the wolf, or did he seduce you?”

“It just kind of happened. I had a problem, and I called him to...” Squatch had told me never to speak of murder. Never admit it to anyone. “I had some metaphorical bodies to bury, and I needed help. I called him, and he came. It took a while for him to help me fix the problem, and things just kind of grew. I don’t think either of us seduced the other. I haven’t seen the bikers date their employees before. I’d assumed they weren’t supposed to, but it turns out, it’s discouraged, but not against the rules. They don’t do it lightly. Only if it’s someone they’re really, really drawn to.”

We both knew that every supernatural in the restaurant could hear our conversation. I figured if they didn’t want to hear us talking about them, they should step outside. I’m not sure what my father thought, but neither of us altered our conversation just because the people we were talking about might hear us.

“A common werewolf? Really, Princess? And he isn’t even Pack. He’s a lone wolf, and likely a criminal.”

“Because of his club? I know they look rough, but they have this...” I didn’t know how to explain it. “They’re a tight group. Loyal. When they give their word, you can take it to the bank. When they give their protection, it means so much more than I expected it to mean. It’s more than just physical safety, with them.”

I knew a half-dozen of them were at a large table, behind me, so they had my back. There was no way to explain that Bobcat knew when I was having a bad day, and he always checked in with me. Dementor and Crush eyed the johns I took next door and listened to keep me safe. When I came out, after, I could sense them looking and smelling, making certain I was okay before I went back to Blaze. Sometimes, Crush would tell me to stop and get something to eat in the vending area before I headed back next door, and I’d see him touch his ear and let someone next door know, so they wouldn’t worry about me. It wasn’t an official break, but he knew I needed calories, and he made certain it happened. Once, I went back without stopping for food. Dementor had been on the door, and he’d sent me back after lecturing me about taking better care of myself.

And now that I belonged to Squatch, every biker and every ol’lady was there for me. They were my family now, but there was no way to explain any of this to my father.

So I asked him about my brothers and cousins, and others in the Ambush I was close to. We talked for an hour while we ate. I knew he wanted to know more about my life, but he let me keep the conversation steered to everyone else, and he gained a few points for doing it.

When we finished eating, I was directed into a van with Bobcat, Frost, and Squatch. Seven other bikers rode their motorcycles in a formation around us. Guarding us. They took me to the spa compound, and then to Squatch’s house. I’d seen it a few times, and I loved it. Huge, open living room and kitchen. The entire top floor was his bedroom. Well, except for the master bathroom in one corner, and his closet in another. One end was the bedroom area, the center was a small seating area, and the other end was free weights and a few odd-shaped benches. You don’t get those huge muscles by sitting around playing video games.

When we went upstairs tonight, though, the room was smaller and a wall had been put up, creating another room the width of his bedroom, but I couldn’t tell how deep it was without looking. Also, the seating area now included a Saint Andrew’s Cross. My eyes tracked to see what else was new. Stocks on the bottom of the bed, with holes for wrists and head. You’d be in doggie style position once locked in. There was also hardware on the bed frame — D rings. He’d turned his metal sleigh bed into a bondage bed.

“What’s the new room?”

“Your closet. The club will move out of the apartments and back into our houses soon.”

I couldn’t deny the anticipation of living here with Squatch, his room set up as a permanent sex-and-bondage room sped my heartbeat and sent heat to my groin, but I was emotionally exhausted. I turned to look at him. “I don’t think I’m up for trying out the new equipment tonight. Please.”

“I know you aren’t, Kitten.” He ran his palm over my hair and then cupped my cheek in the heat of his huge hand.

“Make sure I’ve provided what you need to do your hair. If I did, I propose we sleep outside tonight as our animals. Together.”

“We can do that here?”

“We can.”

I went into the closet first, and my jaw nearly fell open. It was a fancy closet, with drawers and shoe racks as well as places to hang clothes. Mirrors set so you could see your front and back, and a bench in one end of the room. Maple stained in a beautiful pale patina, with gold, brass, and copper hardware — the colors of my tiger. It was stunning. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it was still more space than I’d ever need for my things. It felt decadent, and I loved Squatch for making it happen.

He came to the door. “This isn’t the bathroom, Kitten.”

My gaze met his, my eyes watering, tears threatening. “Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.”

“I need it to feel like your house, too. I’m not sure how to do that, but I figured this was a start.”

He held his hand out to me, and I took it. I’d been attracted to Squatch from the beginning, but I hadn’t thought anything permanent would be possible.

But somewhere along the way it’d become possible, and now I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

I looked over the supplies in the bathroom — comb, toner, dye, disposable plastic cap, gloves, blow dryer, brush, scissors.

“Yeah, you did good. What are the boundaries? Are they obvious, or should we walk the property before we change?”

“While it’s dark, just don’t go outside of the brick wall enclosing the property, or either of the gates. If we’re still in animal form after daylight, stay on this side of the hedge. The spa opens at eleven, so we’ll be okay a few hours, but the wolf doesn’t do good with minutes and hours.”

“The tiger understands the concept, but she does better if I imagine where the sun will be. Show me this hedge before we change, so I’ll know for sure.”

* * * *

Squatch She’d have been okay for sex once I got started, and would’ve been fully relaxed and boneless when we finished. However, it felt like letting her tiger out for the better part of the day would probably do more to center her and remind her of her power.

Also, my wolf was insisting he be allowed to meet the tiger on his terms.

Dawn was about to break when we walked the property on two legs. I showed her our wolf-den, built with stone, hidden by bushes in a corner of the grounds that didn’t get sunlight until nearly noon. It was big enough for a dozen wolves, so the two of us would easily fit.

“There are other little hidden areas. A few were made by someone just for them, and the scent markers make that clear. Otherwise, your tiger’s free to anything this side of the hedge.”

“Your wolf will be okay with her?”

“Will she be okay with the wolf?”

“Yes, but she won’t be afraid of him.”

“Neither will the wolf be afraid of your tiger. Respect, sure. Fear?” I shook my head. “I want to see her again. I’ll stay the man for a few minutes. Maybe a little longer, and then I’ll change. I’m not afraid of your tiger in any form. You love me, and that means she won’t hurt me.”

We stripped on the patio under my deck, put our clothes on the outdoor sofa, and I stood while she walked onto the grass, leaned forward, and changed in a shower of sparks. Not sparks. Not really. Glitter might be more accurate, but it wasn’t anything physical. Sparkly light.

As tigers go, she isn’t huge. Six feet long and perhaps four hundred and fifty pounds. I know an eight-hundred-pound tiger, so compared to him, she’s small.

My wolf weighs what I do — two hundred and ninety pounds. In human form, I’m six foot seven, and it’s all muscle. In wolf form, I’m a giant when compared to other wolves, but still less than three-fourths the size of Kitty’s tiger. It’s all relative, right?

Some species, the mass stays the same. Other species, the mass changes. I don’t understand why or how. Tess turns into a small mongoose, Kitty turns into a large tiger, and Frost turns into a fifteen-pound owl. Probably not that heavy, actually, but he’s fucking enormous for a damned bird. The wolf actually is a little afraid of him when he dives down. He couldn’t do as much damage at a tiger, but my wolf doesn’t like to be dive-bombed, and Frost’s motherfucking bastard owl figured it out.

The tiger rubbed against me, and I had to fight to stand my ground and not get shoved aside. I ran my hand over her back as she walked and moved around me, scent marking me. Showing affection. And then she leapt away from me, pushing off with her back legs last, her body elongated. She flew through the air, landed soundlessly, and ran out of sight.

Did she want to play?

I went to my knees and let my wolf spring forth.